You don’t need to become a fitness expert overnight to decrease your risk of heart disease. In fact, making small, maintainable changes to your everyday routine is enough to significantly lower your chances of heart disease and all its complications, including heart attack. Keep reading to learn more about how you can get heart-healthy for American Heart Month.
Quit Smoking.
We get it. It’s tough to quit. But it’s much more difficult to recover from full-blown heart disease, heart attack, and stroke. Even being around a chronic smoker can increase your risk. Smoking damages the lining of your arteries, causing a buildup of fatty material that leads to heart attack and stroke. On top of that, the carbon monoxide in tobacco cigarettes causes a decrease of oxygen in your blood. This can put your body in a state of stress.
But it’s not just cigarettes that carry these risks. Stay away from vaping, or e-cigarettes, and hookah also called shisha. Not only does vaping increase the risk of heart disease, but it all also produces 31 harmful chemicals, some of which are linked to cancer. Despite its reputation as a consequence-free form of smoking, hookah is just as dangerous as traditional cigarettes. Studies now show that when smoking hookah for an hour, you’re exposed to the same amount of nicotine as you would in 100 to 200 cigarettes. In other words, it’s just not worth it.
Need help quitting? Check out these resources.
Get Moving.
It’s as simple as that. Get out of your house and get moving. Even walking for half an hour a day decreases your risk of heart disease. If you can’t remember the last time you’ve worked out, start with low to moderate impact exercises, and always discuss your fitness routine beforehand with a physician.
Water aerobics, swimming, long-distance walking, and yoga are great options to ease back into your health journey.
Revamp Your Diet.
You’ve got millions of resources at your fingertips for making your diet more heart-healthy. It may seem overwhelming at first, but by transitioning slowly, you can avoid bad cravings or binges.
We suggest substituting a few of your favorite food and drink items for healthier alternatives. Big fan of breakfast meats? Try turkey bacon or chicken sausage. Can’t live without sweets? No problem – there are sugar-free options that taste just as good as the overly-processed original versions, without the same health risks.
Moderation.
Change is difficult, even if you know it’ll improve your health. It’s always better to ease into significant diet and fitness changes so that you can maintain them long-term rather than lose steam quickly and burnout.
We recommend seeing your physician and a nutritionist decide the best way to move forward in your heart health journey.
We want to know how you’ve made improvements in your diet and fitness routine!
Nutex Health, Inc supports you and your family’s health. You can depend on Concho Valley Emergency Center or any one of our concierge-level, freestanding emergency facilities to deliver the emergency care you deserve, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
